We’re less than a month away from the rumored launch date of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and it seems like there is a new rumor to drool over every single day. This latest rumor comes courtesy of Chinese message board, Weibo. The poster claims to have knowledge of a limited edition device known as the Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition.
Of course, anonymous tips online should always be taken with a huge grain of salt but that doesn’t mean we can analyze and debate the claim. In the post, the tipster says that Samsung is testing a 256GB version of the Galaxy Note 8 alongside the standard 64GB version. Even more interesting is the boost in RAM. The poster claims that the standard Galaxy Note 8 will ship with 6GB of RAM while the Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition will be rocking 8GB of RAM. Those of you that like to have 800 Chrome tabs open all at once are jumping for joy.
Not so fast, though. If these rumors are true, it’s likely that the Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition would only appear in the Chinese and South Korean markets – at least initially. People in Europe and the Americas may be out of luck.
There is some basis for Samsung to release an Emperor Edition smartphone with beefed up RAM and storage. The Galaxy S8+ Emperor Edition launched earlier this year in China and South Korea boasting 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Those are laptop specs and that’s no coincidence. Samsung has shown with it’s DeX docking station that it wants to make your smartphone into a computer-like experience. By all accounts, the DeX dock has been an amazing product for those who want their smartphone to do more. While there’s no confirmation we will have a DeX docking station for the Galaxy Note 8; it would only make sense for Samsung to have the option available for their new flagship smartphone.
With 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, the Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition could be the smartphone that convinces a lot of people to kick their laptop or desktop the curb. For many people who don’t do complex photo and video editing or gaming, a smartphone with the power that these rumors suggest should pretty much accomplish any day to day task that needs to be done. Of course, the price tag won’t be an easy pill to swallow but if the value proposition is there and the Galaxy Note 8 can, in fact, replace a typical PC setup then spending a little extra money could certainly be worth it in the long run.
No matter how much RAM the Galaxy Note 8 ships with, the device promises to be a hot item during the fall smartphone launch season and holiday shopping season. A nearly bezel-less 6.3-inch infinity display will almost surely take the spot as the top smartphone display on the market. Dual 12MP camera sensors on the back of the device will make your Instagram photos look amazing. And a 3,300mAh battery should provide enough juice to get a day’s worth of use from these features. That is, of course, if the battery doesn’t catch fire like the ill-fated Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
Underneath all that beauty should be a Snapdragon 835 in the United States and an Exynos 8895 for international markets. Needless to say, there might not be much debate about which smartphone is the most powerful on the market. The iPhone 8 might be the only competition but Apple tends to go for features and design over pure power.
Of course, chipsets, battery life, screen resolution, RAM, and storage mean nothing if the device doesn’t work great. Samsung is swimming against the current after last year’s Galaxy Note 7 debacle. They have rebuilt some consumer trust with a solid Galaxy S8 and S8+ release but this fall will be a true test of whether or not the “Note” name has suffered irreparable damage to its brand. With Apple likely pulling out all the stops for the iPhone 8, Samsung may be in for a fight. However, there are a few ways Samsung can earn some goodwill from consumers when the Galaxy Note 8 launches in a few weeks.
First is pricing. The iPhone 8 is rumored to be launching at a starting price of $1,100. That’s a hefty price tag to pay for a smartphone. While the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 won’t be in the budget bin at an estimated $900; the right combination of features and price could give it the nod over the iPhone 8 when consumers are ready to make a purchase.
There is also a rumor that Samsung will be launching Airpod-like wireless earbuds alongside the Galaxy Note 8. Apple sells the airpods separately at $159. If Samsung were to bundle their own offering with the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition then it would be a huge increase in value when compared with the iPhone 8.
In any case, whatever Samsung does, we won’t have to wait long to find out. The rumored reveal date is sometime near the end of August with the launch falling in early-September. As for the Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition; we likely won’t see that model outside of Asia, at least initially. Still, cross your fingers and maybe Samsung will pull through with a big surprise for their fans next month.
